Posts Tagged ‘ Breastfeeding ’

While we all know that breastfeeding is best for baby, what is even better for baby is breastfeeding exclusively for at least the first six months. Health experts say that the optimal period to start baby on solid foods is around the time they are able to sit up without support and pick food...

Mid-Week Links More than 200 breastfeeding mothers descended on a cafe in Bristol earlier this month in support of one of their own who claimed she was verbally abused by a waitress for suckling her baby in public. When word spread about her ordeal, a Facebook page set up by mothers calling themselves...

And…we’re back! Apologies are in order, folks. It has been a long hiatus since our last post. So much has happened in that time but that is probably best left for another day. We were featured in the Star newspaper today (thanks for the interview, Grace!) so perhaps this is a fitting piece with...

Mid-Week Links While we all know that breastfeeding benefits baby and mother, it also has advantages for the greater community. It reduces infant health care costs because breastfed babies have fewer illnesses and hospitalisations. Employers, too, gain as parents of breastfed babies don’t need to take as much time off work to care for...

Last week, we spoke to Christine Choong, founder of Mamalink and mother to three children, two boys and a girl. All her children are now grown, two are married and her daughter is expecting her first baby. This week, Christine talks about breastfeeding and the lessons she learnt as a mother. How can working...

When Christine Choong delivered her first two babies about 30 years ago, she was confined to hospital beds, each time with drips to induce and accelerate labour. The drips, she recalls, were very painful. With her third baby, she went through most of the labour at home, which enabled her to remain upright, comfortable...

Wouldn’t it be nice if all babies came with an operating manual? That way—just as with electronic gadgets—we need not worry about whether or not we are doing the right thing for our babies, especially when faced with dissenting voices. Here are four books that come close to being manuals for bringing up baby...

Mid-Week Links For homeschoolers in Malaysia, a big question is which route to take to get a place in college or university. David Tan speaks with the CEO of Life College in Malaysia and explains the different options available to homeschoolers here. David also looks at the way homeschooling has gained in popularity and...

Mid-Week Links In my experience, people have generally been very supportive of breastfeeding in public here in Malaysia. Still we’ve heard stories from different parts of the world of mums being harassed when breastfeeding their babies in public places. Here is a collection of notes about attitudes towards public breastfeeding in different countries around...

Mid-Week Links Last month we broached the subject of why it’s not a good idea to hit your child. This week, Time Magazine reports on a new study that provides the strongest evidence yet that children’s short-term response to spanking may make them act out more in the long run. When it comes to...

Mid-Week Links Childcare expert Penelope Leach says that recent brain research proves that babies who are left to cry for prolonged periods are at risk of suffering damage to their developing brains, which reduces their capacity to learn. Young babies do not have the mental equipment to “learn” to go to sleep at the...

Mid-Week Links Mothers will soon be able to legally breastfeed in public in Taipei, thanks to a new law that will be passed tomorrow. A fine of between NT$5,000 and NT$30,000 may be imposed on those who try to stop a mother from breastfeeding in a public place. Score one for breastfeeding families everywhere....

Sometimes it requires the wisdom earned from personal experience to understand something as basic as how to ensure a good night’s sleep with a very young baby. New parents are typically inundated with a variety of different opinions from well-meaning relatives and friends. This cacophony of voices, each with its own carefully considered piece...

I often get blank stares when I mention the term attachment parenting. People want to know what it is and how it works. The simplest way to explain attachment parenting is to describe it as parenting from the heart. At its most fundamental level, attachment parenting means being responsive to your baby’s needs. It...

Scientific studies have shown that mother’s milk is the most effective food for babies. It is packed with exactly the right amounts of nutrients and antibodies, matching your baby’s needs at every stage of her growth. Breast milk even changes daily in composition so that your breastfed baby sleeps well at night and feels...

A new study has confirmed that the composition of breast milk changes every 24 hours in response to the needs of the baby. While the morning breastfeed contains natural stimulants equivalent to a wake up call, the nighttime feed is heavy in sleep-inducing components that help babies settle down for the night. The research,...

Ever since infant formula was invented in 1867, it has taken man rather a long time to come around and agree with nature that her way is, indeed, the better way. Study after scientific study have now established that breastfeeding is far superior to bottle-feeding, with breastfed babies shown to have lower incidences of...